main plot All Lights Quenched

[AonEne]

Deteca stopped walking as the Stranger teleported in front of her. Why the dramatics? "Thank you?"

[+Ark1002]

On 7/23/2019 at 4:07 AM, I think I am here. said:

I’ll try. Do you think you could soulcast an aluminium plate?

Max asked Athea and he summoned Sethramir, stepping forward and staring at the leader. If he could take control of them, maybe he could command the other grunts to leave. But, no. He’d already taken control of one abomination, and he’d hated it.

Moving forward, Max made sure to keep his distance, and swung Sethramir low, trying to slice the legs of the leader.

@RayOfSunshine

The leader easily jumped the blade, going at least seven feet into the air.

It landed behind Max.

22 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

Aln swallowed. "Where are we going?" she asked, stopping herself from reaching for her spanreed. She couldn't hear the sound of fighting over the spinning of the rotors, and she didn't dare check out the window. Instead, she just focused on the scene around her, determined to remember as much as possible to later record in her notebook. 

 

The man looked at her, confused. "The bunker. I said so." He looked around at the helicopter, which was black, with two seats in this section. The seats both had nightshade flowers and the words Bureau of Villainy on them. Those in charge had a flair for the dramatics.

4 hours ago, Sorana said:

Althea wondered what kind of shield he meant, because a shield was a lot easier than a whole plate armour, but then she simply discarded the thought. They would have to talk about fighting and tactics and all that later. For now, she had something to do.

The good thing was, she knew Max coat. She loved how it looked on him, how it stressed his shoulders, and his trained figure. For a moment she was almost sorry, that she would have to change it, but there was no helping that. You couldn't wear a plate without something beneath. She remembered having washed Max gambeson and so she went with what she remembered, not too thick, not too thin, more like a think lined winter jacket. Cotton, the upper layer made out of linien, the lining out of cotton mixed with some wool. Satisfied she observed his coat change, the spren giving in surprisingly easily. So much investiture around her, there was almost no need to discuss. Everbody had a price, spren, human, everybody. Probably she'd just offered more than it had ever expected to gain. Her glow diminished a bit and she inhaled again, wanted to feel the storm, to power. Almost needed it. It made it so easy to go on, to forget about the memories, about her exhaustion, the fact that she'd healed more wounds in the last thirty hours, than during the last year. She knew, she would have to pay a price, but not now, not here. Here there was only the storm and the rain and the stupid monsters thinking they could invade her city. She would stop them. She would never stand down.

Tilting her head to the side, she started to think about the armour. She had a vague image in her mind, they had a full set of plate armour in their cellar after all, but still, it wasn't like she'd really cared how it worked, how the single parts were fastened together. A challenge. It was a challenge to get it right, the dimensions, the fastenings. If she messed it up, the parts would either fall of Max, or sit too tight. Both cases probably lethal. Althea touched the air around Max, then decided to go with the water on his clothes. Water to metal. Easy. Metal was like water, when it was hot and water was like metal when it was cold. At least if you simplified it a lot. She started to size Max up, to judge the dimensions, he was moving, it was hard to see the details, she knew him, knew his body, but she needed a different kind of knowledge here.

The storm was strong, urged her to do it, to try it out,  screw the consequences. It was a challenge, it was glorious if she managed, if she used it and created a full, working plate armour -

Althea stopped the thought, pulled her thoughts back, left the spren of the water alone again. The storm was strong, but she was in control. Would she bet Max life on her judging his body dimensions correctly, on guessing how a plate armour worked?

No.

So a shield it was. A shield was easy, almost boring. There was so much water around, she touched it, bribed the spren and there it was, an aluminum shield for Max. Disappointed she looked around, the one she had incased, stood around like a statue, the others were fighting. She wanted to do something. Lifting her hand into the air, she grabbed some of the flying monsters and changed them, soulcast their flesh into dust. There, that was better.

=======================

All over the city, the toops of the Ghostbloods readied themselves, started to fight back.

@RayOfSunshine

 

The leader turned to Althea. It noted how powerful she was with the storm.

But it had the same power.

It raised it's hand, and the water on Althea turned to oil, black and glistening.

It turned to Max again.

"One wrong move, and I set the oil aflame. She will die."

@I think I am here.

Quote

 

Aylitha tilted her head, then fell apart, suddenly changing into a strange black liquid, splashing down into the filth. Behind the armored men she rose out of the filth again, skin black like tar, holding a bone-white knife. She rushed forwards, stabbing the knife towards the closest man. At the same time tentacles continued to launch themselves at the armored men from the front.

The armored figure (Grunt #1) turned quickly. It activated the aons on it's left hand, and a glowing shield appeared, the knife bouncing off. It pointed it's left hand at Aylitha, and five blasts of Aon Daa rushed out. Each would explode on contact, and heated the air around them as they flew.

Each tentacle was destroyed as the pulse came back.

@kenod

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So armor: This guy is a regular footsoldier. Black leather jacket with gold embroidery, the back has the nightshade flowers and the words Bureau of Villainy. Kevlar vest underneath. Kevlar pants, with gold embroidery. Army boots, again black with gold. He has two handguns, and a knife. Most soldiers have more, but he's transporting low value targets as a job.Sorana, depends what you mean. There is more of the elite hazekiller squads in the city. Five squads in all, only one more dangerous than this. The rest are slightly less powerful. If you mean grunts: There is a lot more grunts. An army worth of them 

Sorana again, but related to everyone: For NPC v NPC stuff, it depends.

For low power, foot soldiers and small creations (golem, harpy, that level), just be reasonable. Don't say "My NPCs dodged every attack and killed hundreds". Kill them, but take reasonable losses and injuries. And don't kill too many yet. Or I'll have to move up the planning with Lord Ajax, which won't be fun (or safe) for anyone.

For medium level creations (dragon, evil spren, etc), or tanks and that stuff, just mention me and tell me what you want to fight. I'll give you something of the proper level, and you can fight them as you choose. I'll call you out on anything unreasonable, but for the most part it's fine.

For high level creations (giant building sized demons, the River, etc.), or Elite Hazekiller squads or other specialized people, mention me, and I'll have a fight with you. I'll control your enemy directly.

 

[kenod]

Aylitha watched the knife get blocked by the forcefield, and saw the Aon Chain of the soldier activating, energy blasting outwards. She didn't even try to dodge, the energy ripping straight through her body, blowing it to pieces. The few remnants fell back into the filth, not reforming.

In a corner on the roof a small eye opened up in the filth, looking at the soldiers. Small tentacles started going downwards, digging into the roof.

Quote

So, two small questions. First of all, how strong are the continuous energy pulses, given that they can destroy Aylitha's tentacles? And secondly, with destroyed, do you mean disintegrated or just repelled with so much force the flesh is torn apart?

@RayOfSunshine

[+Ark1002]

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1 minute ago, kenod said:

Quote

So, two small questions. First of all, how strong are the continuous energy pulses, given that they can destroy Aylitha's tentacles? And secondly, with destroyed, do you mean disintegrated or just repelled with so much force the flesh is torn apart?

 

Repelled back with that much force
They're pretty strong.

 

[+ZincAboutIt]

Lita was still staring at her hand when Deteca mentioned her by name and turned to leave. She felt her head tilt to the side, noting the genuine concern in the woman's voice when she mentioned Lita. She rolled her shoulders a little, feeling a slight discomfort at Deteca's willingness to abandon all sense for a total stranger. Even Laurelai had remained where she was when Lita had fainted - a mark in her favor, in Lita's book. There was a time to act and a time to wait and observe. Most of the time, it was far wiser to do the latter. 

She shook her head a bit, musing at the naivete of some people. Again, she felt confused at how TUBA managed to survive at all in a place this harsh. Observation, acquisition, decision, power. That was the true currency of this city. The Stranger's earlier words came back to her in a cool whisper. 

'You persist in this world only by our grace... You continue because you are allowed to.'

But why were they allowed to endure? Why not simply wipe TUBA and all the rest of these squabbling guilds from the world? Lita mused on this as she crossed the alleyway to retrieve her coat, which was utterly soaked and filthy. She held it against herself anyway, digging in the pocket for the long spike she had brought as a weapon, feeling the cold surety of the metal in her hand. It bolstered her resolve, especially as Tin let her pick up the many cries, shrieks and howls echoing from across the city, audible even through the torrent of the Alleystorm.  

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught the Stranger step outways, bending away from her sight to reappear in front of Deteca as the woman made to leave. Lita felt a little smirk worm its way through her awe at his power. There was so much he knew, so many secrets. Later, she thought, forcing herself into the present. She walked back towards Laurelai, extinguishing her Pewter so as to keep the reserve for as long as possible. It burned far faster than Tin - she'd have to get used to keeping track of both metals now. Her smirk dragged further up her cheek as she eyed the hole in the door.

"Quite a day," Lita said quietly as she neared Laurelai, leaning up against the wall next to the other woman. She felt her smile become a bit of a grimace as the spike in her side gave a rather nasty twinge. "Tin and Hemalurgy - quite a combination. Just between us, I'd have to say I wouldn't recommend it." 

@Voidus

[AonEne]

10 minutes ago, ZincAboutIt said:

Lita felt a little smirk worm its way through her awe at his power. Her smirk dragged further up her cheek as she eyed the hole in the door.

Quote

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by AonEne

[Rushu42]

2 hours ago, RayOfSunshine said:

The man looked at her, confused. "The bunker. I said so." He looked around at the helicopter, which was black, with two seats in this section. The seats both had nightshade flowers and the words Bureau of Villainy on them. Those in charge had a flair for the dramatics.

That's right. He told me that, right after I was thrown into this helicopter, Aln remembered. She followed his gaze nervously, but made no move toward a chair. Instead, she tried to calm herself, with little success. What am I doing here? A part of her shrieked. I'm a scholar. This is a war zone! I should be back in my library, buried in some obscure text. 

"No," said her quiet spren, directly into her mind. "Remember why you came to the Alleyverse." Aln sighed, nodded, and focused on her work, banishing emotions to the background. She looked up at the soldier once more, hoping that none of her previous panic had shown on her face. 

"So, um... John," she said to him, "I'm compiling a history, and I was hoping to get both sides of the story. Would you mind answering a few questions? You don't have to reveal anything confidential, of course."

2 hours ago, RayOfSunshine said:

 

So armor: This guy is a regular footsoldier. Black leather jacket with gold embroidery, the back has the nightshade flowers and the words Bureau of Villainy. Kevlar vest underneath. Kevlar pants, with gold embroidery. Army boots, again black with gold. He has two handguns, and a knife. Most soldiers have more, but he's transporting low value targets as a job

Quote

Thanks. I'll try not to be offended by being referred to as a "low value target" .

 

Edited July 24, 2019 by Rushu42
Repetitive wording

[overlord stick]

6 hours ago, AonEne said:

*Silly Lita face*

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Ahaha, my joke lives on!

On 7/23/2019 at 4:15 PM, RayOfSunshine said:

The sand slid of the mask. The mask was also a hell of a lot stronger then the punch.

The grunt again grabbed for the mans neck, faster this time. The man also wouldn't be prepared.

The grunt grabbed his neck, and Kendul gasped for air, and felt a feeling not unfamiliar to a Sand Master, in fact, it was a feeling he felt a few seconds prior, when he controlled the Ribbons. He was dehydrated. Although to a normal, weaker person that would be normal, for Kendul, it could be his doom.

As the man somehow drained the water from his body, he frantically looked for a way out. He knew he needed to focus, to calm down. I will not be killed by some faceless, worthless, dime a dozen scum! He concentrated on the enemy, and for a second, it felt like time stopped. Kendul looked at the mask, completely shielded, no way to get even the tiniest bit of sand in. Wait, if even a single grain of sand can't get through, how does he breath? He struggled to tilt his head to the side, but he managed it. There was a a lump in the back of the armor, big enough for a small tank. Wait, he can't be exclusively using air from it, it's barely large enough for an hour, so then how... That's it! It must have holes in the back to feed in oxygen from the surrounding area, with the tank acting as a backup! There was only one problem: He didn't have enough safe water. Most of it was drained, if he used any of it for sand mastery, he would die. But, there was another way, dangerous. Even if he lived, he would be weakened, and likely wouldn't be able to fight. I don't have any other option. 

And so, he accessed the water in his own blood, and directed all the sand he could into the holes in the tank, filling it, and the mask, with as much sand he could.

Edited July 25, 2019 by Lord Furret

[+Ark1002]

21 hours ago, Rushu42 said:

That's right. He told me that, right after I was thrown into this helicopter, Aln remembered. She followed his gaze nervously, but made no move toward a chair. Instead, she tried to calm herself, with little success. What am I doing here? A part of her shrieked. I'm a scholar. This is a war zone! I should be back in my library, buried in some obscure text. 

"No," said her quiet spren, directly into her mind. "Remember why you came to the Alleyverse." Aln sighed, nodded, and focused on her work, banishing emotions to the background. She looked up at the soldier once more, hoping that none of her previous panic had shown on her face. 

"So, um... John," she said to him, "I'm compiling a history, and I was hoping to get both sides of the story. Would you mind answering a few questions? You don't have to reveal anything confidential, of course."

John nodded. "I don't see why not."

19 hours ago, Lord Furret said:

The grunt grabbed his neck, and Kendul gasped for air, and felt a feeling not unfamiliar to a Sand Master, in fact, it was a feeling he felt a few seconds prior, when he controlled the Ribbons. He was dehydrated. Although to a normal, weaker person that would be normal, for Kendul, it could be his doom.

As the man somehow drained the water from his body, he frantically looked for a way out. He knew he needed to focus, to calm down. I will not be killed by some faceless, worthless, dime a dozen scum! He concentrated on the enemy, and for a second, it felt like time stopped. Kendul looked at the mask, completely shielded, no way to get even the tiniest bit of sand in. Wait, if even a single grain of sand can't get through, how does he breath? He struggled to tilt his head to the side, but he managed it. There was a a lump in the back of the armor, big enough for a small tank. Wait, he can't be exclusively using air from it, it's barely large enough for an hour, so then how... That's it! It must have holes in the back to feed in oxygen from the surrounding area, with the tank acting as a backup! There was only one problem: He didn't have enough safe water. Most of it was drained, if he used any of it for sand mastery, he would die. But, there was another way, dangerous. Even if he lived, he would be weakened, and likely wouldn't be able to fight. I don't have any other option. 

And so, he accessed the water in his own blood, and directed all the sand he could into the holes in the tank, filling it, and the mask, with as much sand he could.

The sand filled the suit. It didn't enter the tank, which shut off immediately, but it entered the suit. The grunt growled. It tapped it's chest, and the air around it heated. With its hand still grabbing the neck, it would burn badly, and coupled with the water, this would probably put him out of action.

It coughed a bit as sand started to get into the helmet.

@Lord Furret

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The best part is I totally forgot that sand masters need water for their attacks. I coupled you with a random grunt, and did that attack without thinking of sand mastery

 

Edited July 25, 2019 by RayOfSunshine

[+Sorana]

Althea looked irritated at the oil and changed it back into water. He was soulcasting. Excitement had her take a step forward and she almost smiled. A soulcaster. A soulcaster. She'd never fought a soulcaster before. What could she do? Change the air into glass and have it rain down on him, change his cloths, change the air in his lungs - there were so many possibilities, so much she could do, she was almost paralyzed while she tried to analyze what would work best, what had a chance to hurt Max as well. If not for the storm urging on, she'd probably stood there for a while, but now she simply did, stopped thinking everything through.

She touched the water in his mouth, his helmet and his trachea and changed it to water. Hopefully that would leave him coughing and open for Max to land a good blow.

@RayOfSunshine

@I think I am here.

===================

Zokora looked up at Baker Pi.

"Can you contact someone who is in charge of your army? If we don't get help, we have no chance to hold the city."

@AonEne

==========

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Alright. So maybe give me three mid level things. I'd like to try something out, regarding how to write this.

@RayOfSunshine

Edited July 25, 2019 by Sorana

[Fatebreaker]

9 hours ago, AonEne said:

Deteca stopped walking as the Stranger teleported in front of her. Why the dramatics? "Thank you?"

The Stranger's grin widened slightly and he stood to the side and made a sweeping gesture with his arm.

"You're most welcome. Now I believe you have matters of your own to attend to."

Without waiting for a response he shifted away, through dimensions and appeared at Voidus's side. He took in the Chaos of the city, the various warring factions squabbling for dominance. It reminded him of children on a playground, playing make believe. Their battles were harrowing and serious to them, but lacked urgency to the adults. He pulled a cookie from his coat and began to munch on it, savoring the flavor. 

"Y'know," he said between bites, "alot of the creatures seem to be concentrated over yonder, not yet fully in the city. I've got something I've kept for a special occaision that would be enjoyable and memorable. There will almost certainly be collateral damage, but I should be able to keep it to a minimum. What do ya say, Voidus?"

[I think I am here.]

7 hours ago, Sorana said:

She touched the water in his mouth, his helmet and his trachea and changed it to water. Hopefully that would leave him coughing and open for Max to land a good blow.

Max caught the soulcasted shield and watched Althea remove the oil and try to distract the leader. The leader had some advantage in their jumps, that was for sure. So this time when Max lunged at the leader he swung the sword high, for the shoulders and thrust his shield ahead, trying to use it as a barrier or wall to limit the leader’s movement.

[Rushu42]

On 7/24/2019 at 11:09 PM, RayOfSunshine said:

John nodded. "I don't see why not."

Aln retrieved her notebook from her pocket and opened it, readying a pen.

"I believe that, currently, PlasmaCore's army is attacking the city, destroying anything in its path. What exactly do you hope to gain from this?" She asked, looking at John.

@RayOfSunshine

Edited July 26, 2019 by Rushu42

[Truthless of Shinovar]

Tels glanced over the battlefield, while dodging a punch thrown by some beast. Tels shoved some sand down its throat, then hopped away as a much bigger abomination lumbered past him, headed deeper towards the city. Tels growled. He and his some-odd fifty were holding out well, with few casualties, but there were simply too many monsters. Tels held up his communicator, and sent a message to Althea. 

“We need shields up, pronto. I can’t hold out against the anominations forever. Backup would be appreciated as well.”

@Sorana

@RayOfSunshine

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Tagged Ark in case you want to RP a fight!

 

Edited July 25, 2019 by Truthless of Shinovar

[+Sorana]

4 minutes ago, Truthless of Shinovar said:

“We need shields up, pronto. I can’t hold out against the anominations forever. Backup would be appreciated as well.”

"They're Max to command. I'll send some support."

She replied and ordered more troops to his place. The Guns n' Ninjas. They could support him.

Max, we need the shields. Are your men on their way?

She asked him and then sent a message to the Guns'n Ninjas. Maybe they could help. Anxiously she shifted her weight from one lwg to the other. They needed to do something, soon. She needed to do something. A flick with her hand turned a monster into a statue. More. She needed to do more. What could she do, the leader. Focus on the leader first. Then you can focus on whatever else is going on.

@I think I am here.

===========

Mike received a message and showed it to Wes and Seom.

"We are to support there. Let's go?"

He drew a deep breath and stepped outside, started a navigation to the place. It would be dangerous to move, but they - a growl escape his throat when wolf took over. Danger, all around danger. His pack had to be safe.

"Hurry."

Mike whispered, stared at the fur that covered his arms.

"Take this."

He shoved his device into Wes hands.

@I think I am here.

@Ark's Boyfriend

[Arlin]

Storm. There was a Storm. Dark waters, there was a Storm.

Oren tried to push himself up, get away from the chaos around him, but his hands just sank into the concrete in flashes of light. That is what happens in a Storm, he glows, and he destroys everything he touches. He was going to have to watch a world burn again wasn’t he. Just like then. Just like then. The scenery of razing around him was consumed by another’s, a more personal destruction. His home’s Destruction.   

This is where I… that’s right, my journey hasn’t ended yet. ‘There is still life after death.’

His home faded and he was still in the strange city of alleys still glowing. Ai helped him up feeling more real than usual and walk back out into the chaos tremoring. ‘strength to come from weakness’.

[+Ark1002]

16 hours ago, Sorana said:

Althea looked irritated at the oil and changed it back into water. He was soulcasting. Excitement had her take a step forward and she almost smiled. A soulcaster. A soulcaster. She'd never fought a soulcaster before. What could she do? Change the air into glass and have it rain down on him, change his cloths, change the air in his lungs - there were so many possibilities, so much she could do, she was almost paralyzed while she tried to analyze what would work best, what had a chance to hurt Max as well. If not for the storm urging on, she'd probably stood there for a while, but now she simply did, stopped thinking everything through.

She touched the water in his mouth, his helmet and his trachea and changed it to water. Hopefully that would leave him coughing and open for Max to land a good blow.

@RayOfSunshine

@I think I am here.

 

Quote

Umm

 

9 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Max caught the soulcasted shield and watched Althea remove the oil and try to distract the leader. The leader had some advantage in their jumps, that was for sure. So this time when Max lunged at the leader he swung the sword high, for the shoulders and thrust his shield ahead, trying to use it as a barrier or wall to limit the leader’s movement.

The leader easily pushed himself to the side, using the shield as a way to stop the blade from getting anywhere near him. Then he activated the aon chain on his right hand, a glowing light going forward towards Max's exposed neck. It would freeze all the muscles in his body, and would keep it so for about a minute.

Quote

Three mid-level things? Ok.

Darkling

Spren, ~10 feet tall, it's touch is like that of a shade, but works faster. Humanoid shape, six arms, no facial features. Can go through walls or the ground, and damages them so they'll collapse at a touch. Weak to aluminum and invested objects (shardblades, amberite, that stuff).

Ghoul

Human chest and arms, rotten (think walking dead). A spider body connects to that, pure black, except for the pair of green eyes on the back. Face is a canine skull, with the holes filled with rotting flesh, and human eyes with red color. It can generate a wide range of poisons, incredibly deadly, hallucinogenic, acid, etc. These can be injected by the claws on it's fingers, the web, the bite, the spit, or the claws on its legs. It's breath has acidic affect, and will cause eyes to water, the head to fuzz, and the skin to burn. Has human level intelligence, and can communicate telepathically. It uses this to increase fear levels in opponents even further. Incredibly quick reflexes and speed. Often leads a group of smaller monsters.

Dragon

Thirty feet long, equal wingspan, pure black, violet eyes, breathes fire, incredibly strong, claws, teeth, spike on tail. Nothing new.

@Sorana

[little wheel]

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Hey Ark you should probably change the Kevlar (which isn't that strong out of all the options in the world) to something like Buckypaper armor or (for less OP-ness) Teflon. Just a friendly tip. ',;)

Talas pulled himself up, grabbing the door frame and staggering forward. "You can take your hand from your pocket, dear." Talas staggered forward, blood dripping from his many open cuts, long gashes running up and down his body. He took a few steps forward, and then crumpled on the ground, blood pooling on the carpet, gushing out from a (self-inflicted) wound on his stomach.

@RayOfSunshine

[Voidus]

Voidus didn't break stride as the Stranger popped into existence nearby, pulling out a cookie and beginning the solemn process of devouring it. The Stranger fell in next to him, keeping pace as Voidus continued inexorably towards the oncoming hordes.

"Y'know," the Stranger said, speaking between bites, "alot of the creatures seem to be concentrated over yonder, not yet fully in the city. I've got something I've kept for a special occasion that would be enjoyable and memorable. There will almost certainly be collateral damage, but I should be able to keep it to a minimum. What do ya say, Voidus?"

Voidus gave the Stranger another tired smile, he tried to show some enthusiasm at the prospect of a chance to see one of the Strangers experiments, but the smile didn't touch his eyes. He knew that they needed to deal with the threat to the city, but summoning up any enthusiasm at the prospect was difficult. It simply felt like a chore, like another duty in a long line that continued back for many years.

When he'd first set out he'd thought that perhaps dealing with this threat would help relieve some stress, vent a little of the frustration he felt by sowing a little destruction. But he knew that would be hollow, destruction was too simple to provide much catharsis. Perhaps he could artificially limit himself but that wasn't the same as truly struggling.

Better to simply get this over with, the main threat had already been dealt with. The building had been destroyed, and he'd felt nothing else pulling from the Void since then. Compared to that potential threat, all the forces arrayed against the city were simply an afterthought.

"We'd agreed to keep abominations out of the city." Voidus began. "But I suppose that does mean summoning outside of the city breaks no agreement."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly again, but then he let out a somewhat defeated sigh.

"Apologies my friend, I just find it difficult to be motivated right now. Against that." He motioned towards the forces piling up outside the city.  "Things are simpler in a lab, this is all just... messy."

He shook himself, trying to clear his head, gain a little focus. The Stranger was joining him, that made it even more trivial than it had been, but perhaps he could focus on something other than the problem itself. This would be his first time working with the Stranger in a number of years, perhaps that in itself would be enjoyably enough.

"Well then, shall we get started?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Laurelai tracked the Stranger as he spoke to Deteca, trying to be cautious in case he decided to hand out any more spikes, though she knew there would be little she could to to prevent that. But then he vanished again and she lost track of him entirely. She wondered if that was one of the reasons the DA had attracted so much dislike, they did have a tendency to vanish after getting the last word in a conversation.

She slumped and momentarily braced herself against a nearby wall, with Voidus and the Stranger gone she felt somewhat more at ease. Mac was still present but she was far more used to his presence. And he currently seemed distracted coordinating DA efforts and reports from around the city.

"Quite a day," Laurelai started a little as she heard the voice nearby, seeing Lita approaching and joining her against the wall.  "Tin and Hemalurgy - quite a combination. Just between us, I'd have to say I wouldn't recommend it." 

Laurelai winced a little in sympathy, she was no tineye but she knew enough about them to agree that that couldn't have been pleasant.

"Power always comes at a price." She said. "Though I'm thankful that the price for me hasn't been as bad as that yet."

She looked Lita over, noting the stains on her dress from where she'd collapsed to the ground. Laurelai was halfway through mentally constructing a Forgery to set them right again when she remembered the Storm was still overhead. Hard to forget when she could still feel the Dor pulsing against her skin, but she'd grown a little distracted after Lita had been spiked.

"It appears that we've been left behind again." She noted, nodding her head towards where the Stranger had vanished. "Not sure if that's a good thing or bad. Do you think they'd notice if we ducked out for a drink? You look like you could use one."

She gave Lita a small smile.

[+ZincAboutIt]

Lita let her head fall back against the wall a little when she saw the Stranger disappear, caught somewhere between relief and disappointment at his absence. Mac was absorbed with business of his own, and Deteca had appeared to leave the alleyway. For all intents and purposes, she and Laurelai were alone. She allowed herself a small sigh.

"Power always comes at a price." Laurelai said. "Though I'm thankful that the price for me hasn't been as bad as that yet."

Don't I know it, Lita thought, wincing again as she shifted a bit. Sleeping was going to be hell for a while. She looked down at her torn shirt, at the steel spike gleaming between her ribs in the low light. The smile returned to her lips as she recalled the way her fist had smashed through the door. Worth it.

"It appears that we've been left behind again," Laurelai said, and Lita looked up again in time to see her nod towards where the Stranger had vanished. "Not sure if that's a good thing or bad. Do you think they'd notice if we ducked out for a drink? You look like you could use one."

Lita caught a small smile pass over Laurelai's face as she looked pointedly at Lita's soaked, bloodstained form. Lita snorted and tucked a soaking strand of hair behind her ear. "Yes, well, I daresay we've both had enough water for one day."

She gestured around them as the Alleystorm continued to blow sheets of freezing rain through the streets. "I think now is as good a time as any to switch to wine. Or something harder, if I'm being quite honest. After all," Lita gestured towards the spike in her side and smiled thinly through the ache, "I have just been promoted." Lita cast a look at Mac, then back to Laurelai, and shrugged. "Where did you have in mind? We can report anything we see happening in the city on our way - as any true spy worth her metals would."

Lita winked and spread her hands. "Reconnaissance." 

@Voidus

[+Sorana]

16 hours ago, RayOfSunshine said:

Umm

Quote

My mistake. Changed that sentence afterwards and obviously forgot to change the word. But I think you know what I meant.

Sorry for that.

================

Quote

So I've written something for the Ghostblood army, focused on a captian and three squads he leads (or rather led). My next days will be busy and starting the middle of next week I won't have access to a laptop anymore. So I would be glad, if we could treat this an an example of the army fighting back and just let the rest of it happen off screen. I won't have the time to write anything else useful for them the next ten days. I will try to keep up with my characters though, as I don't want to stall any plot.

 

The city was in chaos. Captain Hawke pulled up report after report, tried to see, to understand what was going on, what was happening. So much information, so many pictures, videos and he needed to sort through all of them. He needed to know what was going on. The Triarchy had given clear order to defend the city. How to defend it – that was up to him and his soldiers. With a grim smile he continued to give orders. His squads were spread out over the streets around him, hold the streets, don’t let them into the inner districts. His orders were clear. And he didn’t intend to fail.

 

 

Amelia flashed some sings to the soldiers around her and they slowly advanced the street. Buildings were crumbling in front of them, although she had yet to see their enemy. Her men followed her as they had trained, guns aimed in front of them, some watching their back, some moving up front. Another building crumbled. She tensed, heard a scream and saw a body in front of her withered away by an unseen force. A grim smile spread on her lips when she switched guns. They had reports of spren-like beings roaming the city, ever since things had spun out of control. She would kill that bastard.

Squirrel ran. He was nimble and fast, and he knew how to run. Buildings rarely posed a problem for him. He could either climb their walls, or jump from rooftop to rooftop. He loved to run, to jump to exert his body, to test his borders. He was a thief, nothing but a thief. He knew how to smile and when it came to picking a lock, nobody could best him. But for now Squirrel ran. He ran for his life, for the life of those relying on him to reach them. Somewhere above a dragon lazily circled closer, its eyes on the back of its target.

Cullen’s sword flashed and he finished another small monster off, slashed it apart. Next to him, Tom was shooting a concentrated expression on his face. Tom. Cullen smiled a secret smile, belonging only to himself, and to Tom of course. Not that Tom could see it. He swung his shardblade in a wide arc and cut the wings of something, that couldn’t be described in a different way but monster.
“Cullen, watch out.”
Cullen whirled around and managed to jump of the way of a spider trampling over their squad. No not a spider, a chimera of a spider and a corpse and glowing red eyes. Timothy started screaming in pain, coughed some white liquid up and Cullen moved over, in front of Tom, covered him with his body. Tom leveled his gun and started to shoot, aimed for the body, for the head. The thing turned, stared at them with its red, glowing eyes.

“Did that messenger arrive, yet?”
Hawke asked and an Underling shook his head.
“He’s being chased by a dragon. The squad who was ordered to come meet him got eaten already.”
Hawke cursed and turned back to the incoming reports and videos. He needed to find a squad he could send over to finish the dragon off. None were able to do it. The remaining two were under attack themselves. They needed the device the messenger was carrying. Otherwise they would be cut off from his superiors for the rest of the battle.
“Grab your weapons. We’re moving.”

 

 

With a scream Amelia aimed and started to shoot the large, almost invisible thing. Her bullets ripped it apart, left holes in its body and it turned, its eyes focusing on her. She screamed again, a loud ear-piercing scream in defiance when it floated over, continued to shoot, saw it get ripped apart. Surprisingly there was no fear, no panic. There was nothing but the gun, the bullets, and the outline of the thing floating over. Its hand gripped her arm and she screamed a third time, in fear, in pain, her flesh turning black. Another shot, the spren dissolving, just as she blacked out, her body falling to the ground, nothing but a charred black corpse.

Squirrel jumped through a window, crossed a living room, jumped out on the other window, and then sped along a street. Behind him, the dragon roared and dove closer, down below. It’s talons outstretched, it breathed fire and Squirrel yelped in fear, rushed down another alley, looked for protection between the high walls of the buildings. Dragon. A rusting dragon chased him.

Tom shot another bullet into the chimera and Cullen stepped forward, shardblade raised high. It was rushing towards them, fast, it’s multiple legs scurried over the ground fast than his eye could follow. He rushed forward to meet it, to keep it away from Tom, to lead it in a chase and give Tom room to finally shoot it. Poisonous liquid burned itself through his hands and he had to force himself to hold his breath, to hit it again. A bullet zipped past his ear, buried itself in the flesh of the thing, more poison. His head felt light and he was falling, or was the world turning? Cold crept up his legs, higher and higher, black spots danced in front of his eyes. From afar he heard someone call out for a medic. The cobblestones looked strange when he saw them up close. Really strange. They were wet by the rain, the blood. Strange. He’d never considered a cobblestone before. They had so many funny dots, dancing, jumping up and down. His mind fled while Tom leaned over his body, still calling out for help.

 

 

“Higher. A little bit higher.”
Hawke measured the distance to the dragon again. The thing was moving, but they needed to be careful now, work as a team.
“Good. It should work like that.”
The man next to him, nodded, placed his hand on the button that would launch the little rocket. A rocket against a dragon. If the thing weren’t that scary, Hawke would have been impressed. He’d never seen a dragon before, but like more children, he’d dreamed of riding one, of soaring through the air, dominating the sky. Somehow he doubted, that this exemplary would allow him to ride it.
“Fire.”
The rocket hit the dragon, not in the chest as planned, but at least a leg and it turned it’s head around, focused on the new offenders.
“Fire.”
Hawke commanded again and a second rocket launched, this time hitting it square in the chest. He was no powerful allomancer, no Knight Radiant or whatever else. But he knew his rockets. The dragon inhaled, embers of fire glowing inside of it’s throat.
“Fire.”
The last rocket flew towards it, exploding early when it was met by the fire of the dragon, the men to his left screaming in pain, at the large black wounds covering their body.
“Call for a medic.”
Hawkes voice sounded distant and he carefully looked over the rim of the roof they had positioned themselves on. The dragon lying on the street below him, now he could see that it had been injured already, the squad it had wiped out had at least hurt it enough, that they could finish it off.
“And fetch the messenger.”

@RayOfSunshine

Edited July 26, 2019 by Sorana

[I think I am here.]

16 hours ago, RayOfSunshine said:

The leader easily pushed himself to the side, using the shield as a way to stop the blade from getting anywhere near him. Then he activated the aon chain on his right hand, a glowing light going forward towards Max's exposed neck. It would freeze all the muscles in his body, and would keep it so for about a minute.

Max turned and ducked behind his shield, the Aon chain’s magic fizzling against the aluminium surface but the kickback still pushing Max backwards.

I contacted a few others with the shield plan, he said to Althea. Walking forward he tried another swing at the leader, so this time a dodge would lead to being pushed off the edge of the roof. Max didn’t know if the leader could die to that, but he wanted to get rid of them anyway.

Give them a couple of minutes per shield.

—-

Wes stood and held onto the device Mike gave him.

“Sir?” Wes called, holding it up. “What do you want me to do with this?” Wes was good with technology, he could maybe turn the device into something else, but he needed directions.

[+Sorana]

15 minutes ago, I think I am here. said:

Max turned and ducked behind his shield, the Aon chain’s magic fizzling against the aluminium surface but the kickback still pushing Max backwards.

I contacted a few others with the shield plan, he said to Althea. Walking forward he tried another swing at the leader, so this time a dodge would lead to being pushed off the edge of the roof. Max didn’t know if the leader could die to that, but he wanted to get rid of them anyway.

Give them a couple of minutes per shield.

Thank you.

She whispered and saw what he tried to do. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on the concrete of the rool, gently talked to the spren. So much stormlight to be used, and it could have lots and lots of it, it only had give up a small part of the roof. Yes, a small part would be enough. Right where the man was likely to step to evade. The concrete vanished and she felt some stormlight leave here, only to be replenished once she inhaled a second time. Some oil beneath his feet would work just as fine as well. In case he wanted to jump, maybe that could provoke a stumble.

@RayOfSunshine

====================

"Just follow the navigation."

Mike spit the words out hastily, his ears vanishing beneath his hair when snake tasted the air with his tongue.

"We are supposed to help a guy called Tels. If you need other orders, just contact our superiours."

He lifted his arms, one made of a tentacle, one still belonged to wolf.

"I'll try to keep them in check, but the storm makes it hard. Inside it's alright, but outside... They want to -"

Stopping he bent down when his stomach lurched at the sudden sensations that came with fox taking his nose over. Fox. Fear at the thought of fox reaching out, of the sly mind of the animal - fox was so intelligent, so strong. He'd always known he would loose a fight to fox. Shoving them down, away, pushing them far into the darkness they liked to trap him in he shook his head. He had to find a way to life with them. Storm or no storm. Orders were orders.

@I think I am here.

[+Ark1002]

20 hours ago, bees? said:

Talas pulled himself up, grabbing the door frame and staggering forward. "You can take your hand from your pocket, dear." Talas staggered forward, blood dripping from his many open cuts, long gashes running up and down his body. He took a few steps forward, and then crumpled on the ground, blood pooling on the carpet, gushing out from a (self-inflicted) wound on his stomach.

@RayOfSunshine

She smiled grimly, pulling her hand out of her pocket. As she did so, she deftly slid the gemheart up the sleeve of the long Sentinel robe.

"Okay, stay calm. I'm going to stitch your cut."

She pulled needles and thread out of her robe, and a clotting agent. She injected it quickly, then began to sew the wound shut.

"What happened to you?"

@bees?

6 hours ago, I think I am here. said:

Max turned and ducked behind his shield, the Aon chain’s magic fizzling against the aluminium surface but the kickback still pushing Max backwards.

I contacted a few others with the shield plan, he said to Althea. Walking forward he tried another swing at the leader, so this time a dodge would lead to being pushed off the edge of the roof. Max didn’t know if the leader could die to that, but he wanted to get rid of them anyway.

Give them a couple of minutes per shield.

5 hours ago, Sorana said:

Thank you.

She whispered and saw what he tried to do. Kneeling down, she placed a hand on the concrete of the rool, gently talked to the spren. So much stormlight to be used, and it could have lots and lots of it, it only had give up a small part of the roof. Yes, a small part would be enough. Right where the man was likely to step to evade. The concrete vanished and she felt some stormlight leave here, only to be replenished once she inhaled a second time. Some oil beneath his feet would work just as fine as well. In case he wanted to jump, maybe that could provoke a stumble.

@RayOfSunshine

 

The Leader looked back as it stepped, and saw the hole, the oil. Luckily, the leader had as much stormlight as the other. It soulcast the roof back, into steel. It soulcast the water into blood. Then it reached out to the water slicking Max's eyes, and turned it into aluminum, coating them perfectly. He would have to scrape it off, and his eyelids were now covered. The Leader jumped, over Max's head, far past him, to Althea. Then the blades came out of his wrists. Long blades, like daggers, slicked with poison. It slashed the blades at Althea.

Quote

I kinda knew what you were saying, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't misinterpreting. Also: that wouldn't work. The suit has aluminum lining on three separate layers, so you can't affect the leader directly.

Quote

Aln retrieved her notebook from her pocket and opened it, readying a pen.

"I believe that, currently, PlasmaCore's army is attacking the city, destroying anything in its path. What exactly do you hope to gain from this?" She asked, looking at John.

@RayOfSunshine

John shrugged uncomfortably. "We serve the Bureau. I signed up to the Gilded Rose, and got indoctrinated later. I think the new guy, Lord Ajax, thinks it will be easier to take over the Alleyverse if we just wipe out the Alleycity and start over from there."

He leaned against a wall. "If you're some sort of reporter, or something like that, my full name is John L. Redleaf. You can quote me or whatever."

He pulled out a remote, and a small section of the black wall went smoky, translucent. "The monsters will kill the Great Guilds, destroy the buildings. We can build a new capital, and from there..." His eyes got a dark glint, and a evil little smirk appeared on his face. The cracks grew slightly wider as his face shifted. "We'll rule the world."

Quote

I'm considering making this guy an actual character next era, so here's a small bio

John L. Redleaf

Investiture: Sleepless, Pain increase painrial.

Skills: Expert hand to hand, average melee and projectile training

Weaknesses: Egotistical, can be manipulated well through this. Self-conscience, can, again, be easily manipulated through this.

@Rushu42

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Tels glanced over the battlefield, while dodging a punch thrown by some beast. Tels shoved some sand down its throat, then hopped away as a much bigger abomination lumbered past him, headed deeper towards the city. Tels growled. He and his some-odd fifty were holding out well, with few casualties, but there were simply too many monsters. Tels held up his communicator, and sent a message to Althea. 

“We need shields up, pronto. I can’t hold out against the abominations forever. Backup would be appreciated as well.”

@Sorana

@RayOfSunshine

A dark shadow fell over the group. Above, a strange creature loomed. It had three red scorpion tails, a black lion's body and limbs, the head of a man, but with a lion's mane, mandibles, and bat ears, and four large bat wings. It was the size of an apartment building, and had small plates of exoskeleton mixed in with the fur, and the skin on the face, making it even harder to defeat.

It screeched, a strange mix of lion and man, along with a grating sound like metal on metal.

The buildings on either side of the group were broken down by its powerful muscles, and it began to descend, wingbeat by wingbeat, to the ground.

Quote

You didn't specify, and that's a large amount of people.

So it's time for a hard abomination!

Manticorus

Three red scorpion tails, a black lion's body and limbs, the head of a man, but with a lion's mane, mandibles, and bat ears, and four large bat wings. The size of an apartment building. Has small plates of exoskeleton mixed in with the fur, and the skin on the face. The "fur" of the mane and the body is actually spines, similar to a porcupine, but larger and more barbed. They each have mild hallucinogens, as does the claws and the mandibles. The scorpion tails, if the shear force of the strike doesn't kill, have a poison that would stop a chasmfiends heart in twenty seconds. Extremely muscular. Koloss level intelligence, can speak (badly).

@Truthless of Shinovar

Edited July 26, 2019 by RayOfSunshine
more responses

[kenod]

47 minutes ago, RayOfSunshine said:

The Leader looked back as it stepped, and saw the hole, the oil. Luckily, the leader had as much stormlight as the other. It soulcast the roof back, into steel. It soulcast the water into blood. Then it reached out to the water slicking Max's eyes, and turned it into aluminum, coating them perfectly. He would have to scrape it off, and his eyelids were now covered. The Leader jumped, over Max's head, far past him, to Althea. Then the blades came out of his wrists. Long blades, like daggers, slicked with poison. It slashed the blades at Althea.

A long, strange sound came from the filth. It sounded similar to laughter, or cackling. At that point a series of 5 bone-white spears shot from the ground around Althea, their ends rooted into the concrete of the roof. They angled towards the leader as he came down from his jump, aiming to catch him as he came down. Other spears rose from the filth as well, aiming at the other men.